Page 119 - Talane Miedaner - Coach Yourself to a New Career_ 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life (2010)

STEP 4: IDENTIFY YOUR NATURAL TALENTS AND ABILITIES 107

If your work doesn’t have scope for this type of activity, take up
a hobby such as pottery, gardening, or woodworking—anything
that would enable you to create a tangible and concrete result. You
may find that this outlet is all you need to eliminate that vague
discontent. After we reach the age of forty, typically our need to
express our hands-on side becomes even stronger. This phenom-
enon may even be what people often think of as a midlife crisis.
Common examples of occupations that suit this hands-on
desire are bricklayers, carpenters, mechanics, surgeons, chefs,
physical therapists, musicians, dentists, chiropractors, painters,
and decorators. Included among abstract professions are teachers,
coaches, executives, managers, and salespeople, who primar-
ily deal with ideas, concepts, and people, as opposed to things or
products.

FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND
MY RATING COWORKERS RATING

Hands-off % %
Hands-on % %
Total = 100% 100%

Quick to Anger (Hot-Tempered) Versus

Slow to Anger (Hold a Grudge)

If you are quick to anger, but then just as quickly let it blow over,
you are probably among the 11 percent of the population who
are born to lead according to The Universal Language DISC. You
make decisions expeditiously and aren’t afraid of a conflict. You
may even create a conflict just because you rather enjoy duking
it out verbally with someone. On the other hand, if you try to
avoid conflict at all costs, you are like most people and are usually
much slower to anger but may end up holding a secret grudge for
years and never saying anything about it. You may have difficulty
coming to a prompt decision and need time to consider all the
alternatives.